Redhawk Caldera A picnic plan for you and me.

For uh... anyone! I guess! Lets go fishing maybe? IDK! 

Three days of hard travel, half a day of play-fighting with a rambunctious child, and an evening spent studying the caldera's night life. It had been draining at first for the older wolf, but he couldn't find it in him to sleep just yet. The night passed slowly and was filled with a somber silence, but Njal had been far too wide-eyed to sleep. His body was tired but his spirit had begun to restore itself. He felt awake, and not just with the insomnia indicative of his usual sorrow and worries. And when dawn broke, he witnessed it from one of the lower ridges; staring up at the pale light as it crept across his red-rimmed vision. It felt like he was home again - but with a wide yawn, the pleasant scene was broken.

Njal had lingered for the remaining night on the ridge, and with morning here, he decided to venture down to the lake. He was still unsure about the rendezvous point where the kids were under guard, and did not want to upset anyone by venturing too close again. He reflected upon his encounter with Nightjar as he wandered, but those thoughts vanished as soon as he reached the lake's edge. Another yawn swept from his jaws as he tried to take a drink, causing a bubble to blep to the surface.

As soon as she'd seen Peregrine, he'd told her the good news. Njal had joined them, and although it was obvious that her fellow Alpha was wary of him—as he had every right to be—Fox was glad to have Njal in her ranks once more. Exhausted from her journey, she had spent the first day snoozing and recovering at the rendezvous site. But on the next day, she awoke feeling refreshed and ready to put herself to good use. She wanted to seek out Njal and... well, she hadn't really planned that far ahead.

Tracking had never been her best skill, but thankfully he was highly visible. In fact, he happened to be in the very first place she looked: by the lake. Well wasn't that lucky. Fox hoped that she hadn't used up all her luck points for the day in one go. The fireball trotted toward him, calling out once she was within earshot. "Njal! You made it!" Yes, captain obvious, we know. "Did you find any worthy recruits on your way here?" She certainly hadn't, but that was nothing to worry about. She planned on taking Wifi out with her next time, anyway. Not far, of course, but perhaps to one of the neighboring unclaimed territories.

"Njal! You made it!" The familiar voice came from behind him, and Njal lifted his head quickly - sputtering a little, with a thin line of lake water dripping off his chin - and turned, in time to spot the ruddy red Alpha. Her question made him shake his head a little, but then that transitioned to him shaking off the water more actively. Once he stilled, he responded, "Unfortunately, no."

But he had encountered some strangers. "I ran in to someone named FitzDutiful who asked about you, wondering why I had your scent. I played it off like we were strangers passing by one another. I hope that was alright." It had allowed him to glean some information for himself. "He seemed surprised that you were outside of the caldera." Maybe he hadn't known of the caldera pack's prosperity? Children took up a lot of time and resources, so it would make sense that the parents would hide out rather than go on outrider missions. Still, there seemed to be something more to the situation - but Njal would not pry.

"And then I encountered a bear. I doubt you'd want me to recruit one of those."

Oh yeah, Fitz. Fox remembered him fondly, no matter what the Silvertip leader thought of her. She also knew that he'd come to the caldera after their no trespassing rule had come into effect, so he had no doubt felt some amount of scorn. Why that was, she didn't know. Peregrine had even offered to meet him elsewhere, but Fitz had declined, preferring to be butthurt over the situation. His loss. "I don’t get out much," Fox admitted with a shrug. "He’s probably aware, just as you are, that I’m a bit of a homebody." That was putting it lightly. Her trek that resulted in meeting up with Njal had been the first since the autumn.

"Too bad Finley wasn’t the one to see the bear," Fox mused. "Then again, it’s probably best that she didn’t see it. She’d probably try and fight it. Have you met her yet?" she asked. Fox was surprised to find it so easy to talk to Njal. In a way, it felt like no time had passed since she'd lived in the creek. They'd been close back then, and she had a feeling that they would be close again here. Perhaps, Njal could pick up the pieces of his life and put them back together. Or find new ones to assemble.

Ah, so he was likely a rival from a rival pack. But Fox didn't seem to be worried, and so Njal wouldn't be worried. The stranger had appeared to be young and fit but that didn't make him too threatening to the aged warrior; if Fitz meant them any ill-will, he would be dealt with. 

When Fox mentioned Finley, Njal just shook his head. "I've only met -" Oh, should he mention he'd met some of her kids? Peregrine had told him to stay away from the rendezvous point, which Njal agreed to and even adhered to with a slight obsession, but somehow he'd still encountered - "Wildfire and Nightjar. Not in that order, mind you."

"I found the boy wandering on his own, trying to stalk me, I think. And then I stumbled upon Wildfire while I was looking for you." Mistaking the little girl for her mother might have been more common than Njal thought, but he had no idea. But, back to the point - who would actively seek out a bear? "Does Finley fight bears... Often?" That didn't sound like a healthy hobby.

"Ah, the kids!" Fox beamed. It wasn't a surprise to her that they'd managed to meet up with Njal. They were tricksy beasts, and they were getting old enough to escape unnoticed from their parents on occasion. Fox didn't worry, even though she probably should have. All three were training to be wardens and/or warriors. Not only that, but Fox hoped she had instilled in them a sense of wariness around wolves they did not know. She had a good feeling all three were at least somewhat intelligent. Or strong/fast enough to get out of trouble when they needed to.

When he queried apprehensively about Finley, Fox chuckled openly. "She’s been known to provoke them. Now that she’s about three steps away from popping out some babies, though, I guess she probably wouldn’t do that kind of thing." Having kids had tamed Fox in a big way. Granted, a lot of her spitfire personality remained, but she no longer sought out trouble with as much gusto as she once had. She had a family—children—to think of.

Njal snorted softly at the description of this female, but he held any derisive comments to himself. However the woman managed to survive in to adulthood was a mystery he would have to ask her directly - if he cared enough - and the fact that she was going to be a mother seemed just as surprising. "Then it is good you found me," He finally stated, his rocky voice oddly cheerful, "Because you'll need to keep a weathered eye out for mischief - especially if the mother is a known bear chaser." Imagine that. The future of the Caldera being led to an early demise because of a young fool eager to chase down a bear, or some other danger. Hopefully Finley's children wouldn't inherit such brazen tactics.

"Wildfire reminds me of you." Njal's abrupt statement was appended with a little shrug, and a squint, as if he were thinking hard. "Well, not entirely like you. She's very red - but she's also very quiet. I don't recall you being very quiet." But then, Njal hadn't known Fox in her infancy. Perhaps she got her subdued nature from the father, Peregrine? "And Nightjar.." That boy was a miniature warrior, and truly reminded the old man of his son. He couldn't quite make himself say it, though, and took on a grim expression for a few moments.. Lost in thought. When he broke out of that pause, the shadow was gone from him. "Nightjar will make a fine warrior one day, I'm sure of it."

Fox grinned stupidly when he talked of Finley's safety. It was quite possible that the girl's luck would eventually run out, but Fox hoped that it wasn't all luck that had gotten her out of death's grip so often. Maybe a little bit of it was skill... but that was a big maybe. Hell, even Fox had brazenly attacked cougars in her time at Swiftcurrent Creek (and here at the caldera, if she remembered correctly). It was them that had given her the most gruesome of scars. She couldn't recall with certainty, but she thought both had been killed during their respective battles.

"Oh, just you wait with Wifi," she grinned, "Once she gets to know you, you’ll miss the days when she was quiet." These days, it seemed like Wifi talked her ear right off. That girl was like her father in that sense. To Njal's comment of Nightjar, Fox nodded her head. He was the most physical of the three, even if little Dhole was a close second. "I know Perry can take a bit to warm up to new recruits. I mean… you’re not new to me, but you’re new to him. Once you’ve broken that shell of his, though, I swear he’s one of the greatest guys I’ve ever met." Haunter was on that list, too, but that ship had sailed long ago.

"Do you remember Haunter?" she said, though she hadn't particularly meant to bring it up. "Raven’s middle name is Haunt. I never did find out why he died. He just… did." It had all been so sudden, so strange, that Fox hadn't been able to bear it. Did her Swiftcurrent crew even know that's why she'd left?

He nodded at the comment about Peregrine - there was no doubt in his mind that the Alpha would relax. Njal wasn't exactly interested in being his best friend, though. He was here to serve, to work, to be dutiful. To be given purpose again. Making friends wasn't too high on his list of priorities; he was getting older now, and such things seemed petty, insignificant. An Alpha could be obeyed - even respected - without being liked. 

And then Fox changed the subject (kind of) to one of her other children. Njal tried to remember someone named Haunter from the creek (surely they'd met, even perhaps hunted together, and Njal did not want to believe his memory was already slipping), but he struggled. "Sometimes it is just time." He commented - and then shrugged. It sounded like a cop-out.

"I've spent months wondering why things that have happened... Happened at all. It doesn't fix anything, so there's really no point." God, he sounded like some kind of wise sage, or something. Njal snorted softly at that thought, and let out a loose chuckle. "But what do I know. I'm sure Raven will appreciate the history behind their name eventually."

And what of the history behind his name? Njal still thought of the Sveijarn children, and no amount of reflection could help him now.

To break away from his thoughts before they came flooding in to drown him, Njal pressed on to other things; namely, "I've offered to train Nightjar, and perhaps take Wildfire out on day trips, with permission. I'm sure there'd be room enough for Raven as well if you think it'd be beneficial."

Perhaps if she'd believed in fate, she would have had an easier time with it. Unfortunately, Fox was a more literal wolf, and simply assumed that whatever had happened to Haunter during his absence had caused his death. He had never been quite the same, even after he had come back. Perhaps he had only come back to die so that she could have some sense of closure. It did not matter now; he was gone, she was here, and her life was good.

"It would be," Fox said, replying only to the last comment about Raven. "She's less outgoing than her siblings, but no less capable. I'd want either myself or Peregrine to attend if you plan to take them outside of the caldera, though. And I believe the restriction remains for you on the rendezvous site. I'll allow Peregrine to lift that at his leisure." He was the one who had put it in place, after all, and Fox thought it a good one. She intended to do the same with any new joiners until they had proven their worth.

Njal nodded as she spoke, and when she gave a pause, his response was a lazy drawl. "I had no intention of going near the site. I do understand how important family is," Especially with all of the threats around which could tear a family apart, he thought grimly. "I can wait - I'm not so sure about Wildfire or Nightjar, though. They seem to be quite a curious pair, with a strong interest in the pack's well being, and the land surrounding it." At least in the case with Wildfire. She seemed ready and raring to go out on adventures; Nightjar was similar in his eagerness, but more home-based as well.

"Does Raven have any interests, or anything you've noticed that they're skilled at?" They were only kids but, it seemed like the others had already made up their minds. If this last child was more withdrawn, then it would be hard to find a role to suit them.

Fading this out, since it's getting dusty!

Fox nodded. She hadn't expected him to disobey Peregrine, and she was glad to hear that he had the same thoughts on the matter. Regarding Nightjar and Wildfire's outward tendencies, though... "If you spot them outside it, feel free to escort them back. Or take them on an adventure if you're up for it. They're getting too big for me to wrangle all the time," Fox said with a bemused smile. Raven was the homebody and could almost always be found at the rendezvous site. At least there was one child who happened to remain where she was supposed to. Fox couldn't really fault her other two for wanting to get out and about, though. They were adventurous children, that much was true.

"I think Raven might be better suited to something more... intellectual. We don't have a healer amongst our ranks," and part of that was Fox not encouraging such nonsense, "so perhaps that would interest her." Fox could mold her into what she thought a healer should be. A wolf who did not mess with herbs and made-up remedies, but a wolf who cleaned wounds, knew more of birthing children, and could prevent injuries before they even happened.

They talked awhile more of the children before Fox left to busy herself with other tasks.